We all love first tracks on a ribbon of freshly groomed corduroy first thing on a bluebird morning, but ski areas also draw crowds and traffic that detract from the illusion of wilderness skiing can provide.

For three decades, Carbondale's Lou Dawson has been the foremost authority on backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering in Colorado. In 1991 he became the first man to ski all of the state's 14,000-foot peaks, and his guidebooks influenced a generation of Colorado backcountry enthusiasts since the publication of his first offering, "Colorado High Routes," in 1985.

Whether you're looking for places to earn bragging rights or just love the voyeuristic thrill of imagining skiers making steep and deep ascents, this list of Colorado's most intimidating trails has the gnar you're looking for.

Few can beat Frank and Brittany Walker Konsella when it comes to qualifications for writing a backcountry skiing guidebook. The Crested Butte couple is among the elite few who have climbed and skied all the state's fourteeners.

Skiing's a growing industry, and at the start of every season, there's something new to look forward to on Colorado's slopes. This year the big news has to do with a mountain activity that isn't skiing or snowboarding -- mountain coasters.

Colorado ski resorts are offering intrepid visitors another way to rip and roar down a mountain of fresh powder. The alternative route? Mountain coasters that twist, turn and dip you through the terrain -- and come with the added amenity of stellar views that amusement parks typically don't offer.

TELLURIDE -- The foot-wide trail on loose rock above sheer cliffs is disconcerting, requiring deliberate steps. But when the footpath disappears, the Telluride Via Ferrata becomes a little more than thrilling.

GOLDEN -- When the realization hit Enrique Cubillo that he had invented both a new mode of urban transportation and a new sport, he got down on one knee in New York's Central Park and wept for joy. The epiphany came at 6:15 p.m. on Aug.

DURANGO -- All sound is water. The white noise of the first waterfall and the rushing of the creek fills my ears, but I can hear more-powerful falls downstream, and the persistent drip-drip-drip of spray making its way down the slot canyon's glistening walls, back to the crystal green source.